


Softest Remnant

by Nhitori



Category: Hatoful Kareshi | Hatoful Boyfriend
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Demons, F/F, Ghosts, M/M, Multi, Spirits
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-28
Updated: 2016-01-28
Packaged: 2018-05-16 18:46:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5836651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nhitori/pseuds/Nhitori
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yuuya Sakazaki never got the chance to meet his younger brother; however, a deal with a demon may allow him to speak with the spectre who's been playing the piano in the grand ballroom.</p><p>Unfortunately, it will also catapult him into a life of meeting with spirits who may be much more malevolent than simple ghosts and dealmakers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Softest Remnant

By the time Yuuya Sakazaki had learned how to read, he had already been to three different funerals.

It was a disappointing thing, for a young child, and he was unfortunately not the sort of kid who wouldn’t comprehend the concept of mortality. He was barely over a year old when his father died; they had a closed casket wake, but he toddled right up (hardly even walking) and cracked it open and took a peek anyway. He had expected to see something terrifying, thinking that his father had been in some way mutilated, because otherwise why would they hide the body? Rather, there was only one wound. A bullet, right through the side of his head. Everyone said it was a tragic suicide, but that just didn’t sit right with Yuuya; at the time he couldn’t quite make the connection, but as he got older it easily dawned on him.

The second lie about the way somebody died that he heard was about his younger brother. His mother already had a new husband, who was very rude to her and even more to him. He thought that Yuuya wouldn’t understand him when he demanded that the other child of the late Sakazaki be killed if the firstborn was to remain in this family, and maybe he didn’t, but he remembered. Of all the things about his childhood, Yuuya remembered certain things with crystal clarity. Seeing his father’s body and knowing that it wasn’t suicide. Hearing his stepfather call for the death of his baby brother. Hearing that brother had been stillborn, and they would hold a small memorial funeral. Going to his mother’s funeral a year and a half later…

At the time, none of these were things that he could fully understand, but by the time he was eight years old these only remaining memories of his smallest youth were well-situated in his brain and ripe for analysis; as soon as he learned of certain things, he made certain connections. He realized that his father had been murdered, his brother too. He learned that chances were high his mother had met with the same fate, when Monsieur Le Bel had tired of her, and he knew that he really had to watch his step if he was going to avoid being killed. With his mother gone, it may as well have just been a matter of time.

But, it seemed that Yuuya Sakazaki was a thing of ‘out of sight, out of mind’ to Monsieur Le Bel, and as long as he didn’t cause any trouble he was simply worth nothing. Not even worth murdering. He was only… there. As long as he kept to himself and didn’t cause any trouble, his position wasn’t going to change. 

Eight years old was when he figured out everything that had happened, all about the murders of his missing family members; it was a few months after his birthday, when he finally put all the pieces together, but once he did he felt as if he had always known it anyway. It wasn’t really shocking, it was just a knowledge that he had, and that he only hadn’t realized in the past because he just hadn’t known enough about the world just yet. He went to public school, unlike the Le Bel children who all went off to various prestigious prep schools, so it’s not like he wasn’t being cared for on some level. He was educated (had to take the bus), and allowed to eat leftovers out of the fridge, and he had his own room. He never really went on field trips though, because he was afraid to ask to have his forms signed.

It wasn’t bad, though. It was almost like he was a ghost, although, he knew that he was definitely alive and human. As far as he could tell, nothing like that even existed, or at least, that was what he thought for a few months longer. He was alone in the house, the Le Bels on some family publicity outing, when he heard something. It wasn’t a very nice sound, really; it was as if somebody was attempting to play the piano for the first time, and didn’t have anything to guide them in that effort, leading to discordant noises echoing through the empty house.

Yuuya had to wonder if anybody had stayed behind. As far as he knew, he was the only person who wasn’t brought along. The Le Bels seemed to have singular personal servants for each member, and of course they brought those along with them. Rich people without their employees were hardly capable of doing anything; or at least, these rich people were. As far as Yuuya knew, he was the only person in the house at all. An investigation to the source of the sound led him to the grand piano which sat in the corner of the ballroom, because of course the mansion had a goddamn ballroom inside of it.

This piano was certainly the source of the music, but there was nobody there. Nobody at all. Yuuya just stood there in the doorway, staring for a while until the music evened out a little bit, seeming to steadily improve, though still being made by a beginner. He lost track of time, standing there, despite the music not being particularly nice; he was simply in awe. The door clicked open as the Le Bels arrived back, and the music stopped abruptly, the room’s curtains fluttering with a chilly breeze that swept across Yuuya’s face before leaving the entire room in stagnancy and silence.

Shaken by the odd experience, he made his way quickly back to his own room; what had happened there? Was it simply some sort of hallucination, a dream? Or was it something else? He had never really put much stock into the supernatural, being told at a young age by his friends at school that things like the tooth fairy and the easter bunny were lies, and he had believed them with ease because he’d hardly ever been convinced of their existence before. From what he understood, things like that and things like… Ghosts, they were only fiction. If this was anything that truly had happened, however, it could only be a ghost. One strange encounter had left Yuuya rethinking his entire worldview at this young and tender age.

However, he could brush it off. At least the first time, he could pretend that nothing had happened; but only the first time, which did mean there was a second time. The next time was very early in the morning, while he was the only one awake. At three in the morning he’d woken for no real reason, only to hear music drifting softly from below him… that’s right, his room was right above the ballroom, wasn’t it? He didn’t leave his room this time, knowing that there was nothing to see but piano keys being invisibly pressed. Despite the piano being there, none of the Le Bels could play, so Yuuya had no doubt in his mind that this was the same phenomenon as before, months after the first time he’d encountered it.

The music quality was much better now, and he had to wonder if whatever was playing had been practicing while everyone was asleep, ever since that day… it would certainly make sense, anyhow. The music was now very beautiful, and had a somewhat haunting tone to it, though it wasn’t frightening; more somber, and it gave Yuuya a sense of comfortable unease. In that, it was certainly offputting to hear, and yet he enjoyed hearing it nonetheless. There was a sense of dread to it, but also a sense of something being found. Something that was missing.

The music faded out slowly, and Yuuya finally moved again, having been completely entranced in letting the sound envelop him. He had turned nine years old since that first time he’d heard the music, and he was starting to understand even more about the world. Perhaps, he had decided, perhaps there was such a thing as ghosts, or at the very least, some invisible force out there. Something that wanted to play piano, and that was all. Most likely, something harmless.

Sighing, Yuuya turned around, only to see a form standing in his room. In the darkness, he could barely see it, but there was a table lamp right next to his bed. He didn’t panic; no, after that music, he felt a degree of calmness sitting gently on his chest, and even if he was to be murdered right at this moment he hardly felt that he would react in any predictable manner. Standing there, once he turned on the light and got a look, was a boy who looked to be somewhat younger than him. The boy had green hair, and orange eyes that almost appeared to be glowing, but that couldn’t be. If they were glowing, Yuuya would have seen them in the dark.

“Yuuya Sakazaki…” The boy mumbled softly, looking down at his own hands, “Ah, it appears I’ve taken on the same age as the spirit who lives here…” He smiled softly, now holding those hands to his chest, “You’ve taken quite a liking to that sound, haven’t you? Wouldn’t you like to meet the person who’s making it?”

“What do you mean?” He questioned, blinking as he stared at this stranger.

“The person playing that piano. He was a poor young child, killed in cold blood just as soon as he came into this world,” He muttered softly, “He’s tied to this world because he was murdered… it’s really very sad. He didn’t even get a chance to live at all, growing and learning about the world post-mortem.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand a word that you’re saying!” Yuuya chuckled a bit, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Oh,” The boy frowned, “That’s odd, I can understand you perfectly… I should be able to communicate with people like you regardless of language…”

“No, language is no problem! You’re speaking French,” Yuuya shook his head, “I just don’t understand! What do you mean…?”

“I’m referring to that boy playing the piano. He is a spirit… I guess the best way to refer to him would be as a ghost. His name is… Sakuya.”

“Sakuya…” Yuuya trailed off, voice suddenly faint, “That… that was what my mother wanted to name my little brother, but he died before they even finished the birth certificate…”

“Just because he was never named in your world doesn’t mean he didn’t get the name he was meant to have, when he reached ours,” The boy tilted his head up, “My name is Nageki Fujishiro. I’m here to offer you a deal.”

“Nageki Fujishiro…? I’ve heard that name before…” Yuuya racked his brain for a moment, “Ah, my godfather!” Leone J.B. had been a very close friend of Yuuya’s father, and his mother as well by association. He was practically family, and he visited often thanks to some sort of business connections to Le Bel, always making time to go and chat with Yuuya, who was by now the only remaining bit of his close friends that remained, “He mentioned your name once! He was telling me all about weird cases that were never solved… you and your brother were mysteriously killed! No signs of foul play or suicide on either part… a real mystery!”

“That’s heavy stuff for somebody as young as you to know,” Despite currently appearing to be younger, Nageki commented, raising his eyebrows, “In any case, you’re right…”

“What you just said about ghosts and being murdered, though… does that mean you really were killed?” Yuuya questioned, tilting his head to the side.

“I’d really rather not talk about it. All you really need to know is that my brother still exists in this world as well. Thereby… we were both killed. I won’t go into any more detail, though. The issue at hand here is not me and my brother, but you and yours. You’d like to see Sakuya, wouldn’t you?” Nageki questioned, crossing his arms and leaning forward a bit.

“I would… but why would you offer me something like that? What’s the catch? In movies, there’s always some sort of catch…”

“The catch is that it wouldn’t only be Sakuya you would become able to see,” Nageki shrugged slightly, “You’d be able to tell the difference, among those of us that look human, and be able to see just about anything. And… well, you would attract the attention of certain nastier creatures. That’s what my job is. I give humans the ability to see, but also curse them with the inhibition of attracting those things… certain spirits wreak havoc even for us, you see. We need to occupy them with humans to chase. It’s quite cruel, I know, but many do manage with it, and… it’s my job. I can’t really refuse. But you can.”

“That isn’t nice,” Yuuya shook his head, frowning, “But… I’d be able to see him… my brother…”

“Precisely. Some other spirits with my job would try to trick you into agreeing blindly, but I believe that if anyone is going to make a decision they should know full well the consequences before making it… perhaps my quotas are lower than others, but even the dead should have morals,” He shrugged, then held out his hand, “So it’s your choice. Will you trade your safety for the opportunity to meet with the dead?”

“I have another question,” Yuuya stood up and approached Nageki, “The dead… so there are others, that I should meet, besides Sakuya?”

“Maybe,” Nageki shrugged, “I really can’t say, but… it’s not only the senseless beasts that will be attracted to your aura, if you do this. You’ll meet quite a number of us, and if you do survive, that may be an interesting life experience…”

“Well. I’d like to think I’m good at surviving…” Yuuya hesitated, then reached out and grabbed Nageki’s outstretched hand, “I’ll get to see Sakuya… And this will help people.”

“So that’s your decision then?” Nageki tilted his head, and Yuuya nodded, “Very well. You are now E.”

“E?” Yuuya asked, stepping back and looking Nageki over. There seemed to have been a change; the boy’s eyes, the sclera had turned an inky black, and those orange irises were now glowing.

“There is a classification of humans in levels A through E, though E was the first one created. In Japanese, it can translate to ‘bait’. And, in all technicality, that is what you are… But, I’m wishing you good luck anyway.”

“...Thank you.”


End file.
